Laura Snowden is Aotearoa New Zealand’s IDF (International Diabetes Federation) youth representative, she reports back from her time in Lisbon as a ‘YLD’. 

In December, while the rest of us were getting ready for summer holidays, Laura was packing her bags with winter clothes to travel to Lisbon, Portugal to attend the Young Leaders in Diabetes programme (YLD).

This international programme provides young people with education, guidance and support, throughout a two-year period, to empower and help them become efficient advocates for themselves and others, living with diabetes.

We've asked Laura some questions about her trip and YLC programme.

What was it like getting ready for the massive flight, which included stopping in Australia and Dubai?
It definitely felt a little stressful! All I could think about when I was packing was just how far away I’d be if I forgot anything like my insulin or pump sites. Otherwise, I was super excited to head off on a big adventure with a just a few nerves about travelling so far by myself.

What did you want to do first when you arrived in Lisbon?
I couldn’t wait to have a shower! After flying for over 25 hours, I was in need of some yum food and a shower, but I was also very excited to start seeing the sights and find my way around Lisbon so I did a little bit of exploring before I crashed for the night. I think I went to sleep at 5pm on the night I arrived!

When you went to the first day of the programme how did you feel? 
So excited – I couldn’t wait to meet other people living with diabetes who had a similar passion for making a difference in their own communities. I was most looking forward to hearing about how different everyone’s experience is in each country. Although excited, I guess I was a little bit nervous to meet so many people at once, but everyone was so lovely and welcoming!

What are you tips for managing diabetes for something like this? 
- Make a list before you pack of everything you will need and pack more than you will likely need

-          Keep plenty of hypo snacks and other diabetes supplies in your carry-on luggage because you never know when you’ll see your checked in baggage again!

-          Make sure you have a doctors letter to show any customs or security staff if needed in the airports and check before you fly whether pumps/CGMs can go through x-ray machines etc

-          Plan ahead for time zone changes, for example, changing the time on insulin pumps or planning Lantus doses

-          Get medical insurance to cover you whilst travelling

-          Try to keep your insulin from getting too hot or cold so use an insulated bag or other available wallets/cases to keep the insulin at an appropriate temperature

-          Check with your doctor whether you need any other medicines such as anti-nausea or antibiotic medications just in case

-          Wear a Medical ID if you have one 

What was most fun thing you did? 

I struggle to pinpoint an exact moment that was the most fun but on one evening a big group of the Young Leaders went out to ‘Wonderland Lisboa’ which was a super cool wintery Christmas market with lots of lights and stalls and ice-skating. It was so much fun to hang out with the other young leaders from across the world and also enjoy the wintery Christmassy atmosphere.

How will you share what you learnt, with the diabetes community in NZ? 

A lot of our training was around becoming advocates and leaders in our communities, and over the next two years as part of the programme I will plan and carry out a project. For my project I will be looking at developing a youth leadership programme alongside Diabetes NZ to pass on the skills and knowledge that I gained from the training. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing these learnings be applied among the diabetes community in NZ.